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Richard Mattson passed away in June 2001. His story is reprinted here. In Defense of Sulo Havumaki as originator of the St. Urho legend Another claim to the origination of the St. Urho legend.
 www.mojakka.com |
Saint Urho Welcomes You!
The legend of St. Urho originated in Northern Minnesota in the 1950s. However, there are differing opinions as to whether it began with the fables created by Sulo Havumaki of Bemidji, or the tongue-in-cheek tales told by Richard Mattson of Virginia. Either way, the legend has grown among North Americans of Finnish descent to the point where St. Urho is known and celebrated across the United States and Canada, and even in Finland. St. Urho's Day is celebrated on March 16th, the day prior to the better known feast of some minor saint from Ireland, who was alleged to have driven the snakes from that island. The legend of St. Urho says he chased the
grasshoppers out of ancient Finland, thus saving
the grape crop and the jobs of Finnish vineyard
workers. He did this by uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka,
heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly
translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to
Hell!"). His feast is celebrated by wearing the
colors Royal Purple and Nile Green. St. Urho is
nearly always represented with grapes and
grasshoppers as part of the picture. Saint Urho has been recognized with proclamations
in all 50 states. Minnesota Governor Wendell
Anderson issued a proclamation in his state, the
unofficial home of Saint Urho, in 1975. We hope you enjoy our effort to honor this mythical Finnish-American hero. Please feel free to share your St. Urho experiences and celebrations by clicking on the phrase below and sending a note to the webmaster. Tim "Timo Winkenen" Winker
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